A walk in mid June along the sea front at Bangor,- where I grew up – in the days before the Bangor Marina was constructed!
Bangor by the Sea!
All posts by Bob McEvoy
Supercar – The BMW M4 Club Sport Coupe
Here’s my ‘Car of the Week’ for Easter –
its a fabulous BMW M4 Coupe, complete with Competition Sideskirts, and retailing new at a breathtaking £103K!
Low-Key Portraiture
Digital Beauty
Here’s Angeline, photographed with the Fujifilm X-T3, against a plain black backdrop, and with only natural light, coming through a narrow window. I balanced the light with a silver reflector on the opposite side of her face.
Islandhill
Shooting seagulls at Islandhill, near Comber today, using the Fujifilm X-T4 and a 55-200mm lens. The tide was fully in when I was there, so there was no chance of getting along the Causeway to the island itself. Still, there were a few photo opportunities.
Strangford, Co.Down
When it come to scenery, there’s few places better than Strangford and Lecale, – an area of outstanding natural beauty, and of great scientific interest.
On Thursday 7th January I crossed the straits between Portaferry and Strangford on the ferry, with my Fujifilm X-T4. It was a cold, bright winter day, and Strangford village was sparkling in the winter sunlight.
38 Espresso – An After-Christmas Taste Treat!
Tim (my son) who is a coffee aficionado, bought me some ’38 Coffee’ whole beans for Christmas. I’d duped him into thinking I was getting a brand new professional Gaggia from Santa, and he kindly thought that I’d need some beans for the big day – and of course to make him a decent cup of Americano. I was lying, of course – a serious breach of ethics, and one of those conscience riddled challenges that we all face from time to time.
S. D. Bell’s Tea
One of the simple pleasures of life on a dull December afternoon, with the bad news of another impending lockdown, and Christmas restrictions – a nice cup of S.D.Bell’s ‘Natural Leaf Tea,’ freshly brewed; golden brown and full of flavour.
One of my favourite local tastes!
S.D Bell’s are Ireland’s oldest independent tea merchant and coffee roaster. Established in Belfast in 1887, the firm continues to supply the finest teas and coffees from around the world. You can order on-line from them. Just click: https://sdbellsteacoffee.com
THe Beauty of Machinery?
Volvo Mechanical Shovel.
There’s no doubt that an image like this will never be considered ‘beauutiful.’ It’s the inside of the cab of a huge mechanical shovel, the end used in quarries to lift tons of stone and gravel and load it into lorries.
I made the image, along with others, interior and exterior, as part of a commission for a commercial client, so it won’t ever be hanging on anyone’s wall!
Yet beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and photography, unlike some other disciplines is entirely subjective. What one person thinks is attractive and beautiful, will be repulsive to another. When I’d finished the commission, and sent off the completed images, this one still stuck out as interesting, if not exactly pretty. I like the almost ‘three dimensional’ aspect of the image, created by the juxtaposition of the levers and the screen, leading the eye in a convergence toward the starter key. The depth of field that blurs the image of other vehicles outside helps to keep the eye from straying outside the cab.
Fujifilm X-T4, F=55mm, f/5 @ 1/60th on ISO1600.
Grey is the New Green!
When is a Gray Car Green?
When it’s the BMW 330e Hybrid Petrol / Electric Vehicle!
This BMW 330i I photographed for a client today reminded me of Boris Johnston’s recent attempt at creating a new cuddly green image!
Unlike Boris, this sleek stylish beauty really is efficient and fast paced, 138mpg, 0-62 in 5.9 seconds, and buying it new will set you back a mere £40K or thereabouts.
Inspirational…
Motivation and Inspiration
It’s encouraging to drive along a road and see some inspirational words on a wall. In Belfast, it makes a nice change from some of the darker, paramilitary or terrorist inspired murals. Ant when you are ‘getting on a bit’ like me, this wall on the Newtownards Road is particularly appropriate – a good incentive to keep going!
This area of Belfast is known as ‘Ballymacarrett’ – an ancient townland name, and the home of many of the old Belfast industries, most notably the famous Harland and Wolff Shipyard, Short Brothers aircraft factory, the Belfast Rope Works and the Scirocco Works.
The mural features everything that is good about East Belfast, its community and renown, including CS Lewis, born in East Belfast. Also included are a ballerina, Belfast City Hall, and a group of children playing in the street, a boy releasing a dove, symbolising peace.
The main text on the mural is:
Portraits2Go.co.uk 